Some snapshots

USA: There’ll be a major action in Atlanta, Poor People’s Caravan and Assembly. Grassroots Global Justice Alliance has called on all the member groups to do an action. There will be actions at the border of Mexico and the US against the wall of death. There will be an action in New Orleans around the Right to Return, and solidarity actions in different states for Gulf Coast/Katrina Survivors and local housing struggles. AFSC, Jobs with Justice, AFL-CIO are planning actions with theire members. CANADA is organising a week in which all the events will be symbolically linked by the image of fire. In INDIA womens groups are planning a conference and a march; in Maharashtra there will be a protests of farmers on indebtedness; in Mumbai they are trying to get permission for a float parade. Besides there are actions planned in Uttaranchal. Delegates also reported that they will try and organize response to the global call in west Bengal and UP. More information is not yet available in India although there are chances of actions in many more parts of the country. JAPAN: The campaign starts in the end of December and will go on through the month to end to January 26th, the global day of action. Different organizations, from trade unions, NGOs, social movements have come together to act together. There will be all kinds of issues focused in the campaign, including labour, caste, migration, peace, human rights. 6 working groups have been formed. There will also be workshops on the coming G 8 meeting to be held in Hokkaido. PHILIPPINES: Different organizations have come together for a week of action in which a "peoples camp' will be set up from January 23-25. The 'people's camp' would constitute the physical space where various activities (workshops, forums, film showing, trade fair, concerts) would be held. KOREA: Each day there will be a focus on one major theme. In THAILAND, actions are planned but it is not yet clear what form the actions will take. INDONESIA: Farmers groups are responding to the call from Via Campesina to support the call. In BRUSSELS, the Belgian Social Forum is organizing a guided tour of "a different Brussels”, to invite people to visit Brussels while meeting its movements and associations. In SWITZERLAND there will be The Other Davos a counter-WEF conference every year during the Davos Symposium, in ITALY several events in Rome, Florence, and all other regions around issues of peace, disarmament, racism, xenophobia and solidary economy. In BRAZIL many events, from a large carnival parade in Belem to a large concert on the beach in Rio alternating famous performers with performers from the favelas. Large events in MEXICO and in COLOMBIA, on the occasion of the summit of the heads of state of the Latin American countries. In AFRICA the Maghreb Social Forum will take place in Mauritania and the African Council is organising support for widespread initiatives. IRAQ: several civil society organization will organize actions. PALESTINE: many organizations will organize actions, linked with others in different countries. RUSSIA, SIBERIA, AFGHANISTAN, perhaps UZBEKISTAN, LEBANON will be on board. In AUSTRIA there’ll be a Carnaval of Solidarity in Vienna and a conference on the reform treaty in Linz, a conference in RUMANIA, and a meeting in CHECH REPUBLIC.
Talking about networks, VIA CAMPESINA calls for mobilisation throughout the world against multinational corporations, CARITAS INTERNATIONAL has issued a call to all it’s members to participate, the International TRADE UNIONS CONFEDERATION (ITUC) will issues its own call on decent work, the network of GLOBAL MOVEMENTS has issued a call to mobilise.